Telfaz11 & New Distribution Label Metis Films Partner On UK & Ireland Release Of Saudi Hit ‘Mandoob’
Rising Riyadh-based independent studio Telfaz11 and newly launched UK distribution label Metis Films are partnering to release Saudi hit Mandoob in the UK and Ireland.
The contemporary drama follows the mishaps of Fahad Algadaani, a Riyadh-based night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of the city’s underworld as he tries to raise money for his father’s medical bills.
The movie has enjoyed a successful run at home, drawing 630,000 spectators since its release last December. It success follows in the wake of Telfaz11’s hit freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
Mandoob is the first film of Telfaz11 co-founder Ali Kalthami, who previously achieved fame at home for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“When we created the story of Mandoob (Night Courier), we focused on appealing to local audiences. However, after its major...
The contemporary drama follows the mishaps of Fahad Algadaani, a Riyadh-based night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of the city’s underworld as he tries to raise money for his father’s medical bills.
The movie has enjoyed a successful run at home, drawing 630,000 spectators since its release last December. It success follows in the wake of Telfaz11’s hit freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
Mandoob is the first film of Telfaz11 co-founder Ali Kalthami, who previously achieved fame at home for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“When we created the story of Mandoob (Night Courier), we focused on appealing to local audiences. However, after its major...
- 5/8/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Filipino director Sheron Dayoc’s The Gospel Of The Beast won the top Golden Star Award for best Southeast Asian film at the first Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam, which also saw several titles dropped from the final programme due to censorship by local authorities.
The Gospel Of The Beast marks the first feature in seven years from Dayoc and tells the story of a teenage boy who accidentally kills his classmate and runs away with an older man he barely knows, forming a unique father-son relationship. It premiered at Tokyo in October.
Scroll down...
The Gospel Of The Beast marks the first feature in seven years from Dayoc and tells the story of a teenage boy who accidentally kills his classmate and runs away with an older man he barely knows, forming a unique father-son relationship. It premiered at Tokyo in October.
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- 4/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Gospel Of The Beast, directed by the Philippines’ Sheron Dayoc, picked up the Golden Star Award for Best Southeast Asian Film at the first edition of the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam.
Nicole Midori Woodford’s Singapore-Japan collaboration, Last Shadow At First Light, won multiple awards in the festival’s Southeast Asia competition, including the Jury Prize, best cinematography (Hideho Urata), best screenplay (Nicole Midori Woodford) and best visual effects (Laokoon VFX).
Oasis Of Now, directed by Malaysia’s Chee Sum Chia, took awards for best director and best actress for Vietnam’s Tạ Thị Dịu, who plays an immigrant in the film. Singaporean drama Wonderland won awards for best actor (Mark Lee) and best supporting actor (Peter Yu), while best supporting actress to Rawipa Srisanguan for Thailand’s Solids By The Seashore.
Indonesian action drama 13 Bombs was awarded with best sound design...
Nicole Midori Woodford’s Singapore-Japan collaboration, Last Shadow At First Light, won multiple awards in the festival’s Southeast Asia competition, including the Jury Prize, best cinematography (Hideho Urata), best screenplay (Nicole Midori Woodford) and best visual effects (Laokoon VFX).
Oasis Of Now, directed by Malaysia’s Chee Sum Chia, took awards for best director and best actress for Vietnam’s Tạ Thị Dịu, who plays an immigrant in the film. Singaporean drama Wonderland won awards for best actor (Mark Lee) and best supporting actor (Peter Yu), while best supporting actress to Rawipa Srisanguan for Thailand’s Solids By The Seashore.
Indonesian action drama 13 Bombs was awarded with best sound design...
- 4/15/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The inaugural Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam has unveiled its line-up of about 100 films, including 12 each for the Southeast Asia competition and for the first or second film competition, with directors Anne Fontaine and Hirokazu Kore-eda among its guests.
Scroll down for line-up
The Asian premiere of French biopic Bolero will open the festival on April 6. Director Fontaine and leading actor Raphaël Personnaz will be present for the film’s Asian premiere, which will take place at the city’s historic Opera House.
Further notable festival guests include acclaimed Japanese director Kore-eda who will receive...
Scroll down for line-up
The Asian premiere of French biopic Bolero will open the festival on April 6. Director Fontaine and leading actor Raphaël Personnaz will be present for the film’s Asian premiere, which will take place at the city’s historic Opera House.
Further notable festival guests include acclaimed Japanese director Kore-eda who will receive...
- 3/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s indie thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has drawn 605,000 spectators at home for a $7.5M box office gross following its release last December, in a first for a homegrown indie thriller in the territory.
The movie is the latest production from Riyadh-based Telfaz11, which broke Saudi box office records last year with the more mainstream freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar. That film sold close to 1M tickets for a $11 million gross at home.
Night Courier is the first feature from Telfaz11 co-founder Kalthami, who first achieved fame for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“Mandoob has not only shattered records but has also introduced a new genre to the Saudi box office landscape. The overwhelming support from our audience demonstrates a growing appetite for diverse narratives and storytelling style,” said Kalthami.
“This...
The movie is the latest production from Riyadh-based Telfaz11, which broke Saudi box office records last year with the more mainstream freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar. That film sold close to 1M tickets for a $11 million gross at home.
Night Courier is the first feature from Telfaz11 co-founder Kalthami, who first achieved fame for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“Mandoob has not only shattered records but has also introduced a new genre to the Saudi box office landscape. The overwhelming support from our audience demonstrates a growing appetite for diverse narratives and storytelling style,” said Kalthami.
“This...
- 2/28/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Gordon Main’s apartheid-era documentary “London Recruits” has been tapped as the opening film at the sixth Joburg Film Festival, which takes place Feb. 27 – March 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa‘s history, when the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon. Oliver Tambo hatched a plan to infiltrate young British activists into the country, posing as tourists. Their mission, in the face of brutal lockdown by the racist regime, was to help inspire ordinary South Africans to join a liberation movement that would never give up till freedom was won.
The film is produced by Jacintha de Nobrega (“Deep End”), Robyn Slovo, Geoff Arbourne, Colin Charles (“The Surveyor”), James Barrett (“A Change in the Weather”) and Felix Gill (“78/52″). As Variety previously reported, XYZ Films is repping the doc’s North American sales.
Earlier this week,...
The film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa‘s history, when the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon. Oliver Tambo hatched a plan to infiltrate young British activists into the country, posing as tourists. Their mission, in the face of brutal lockdown by the racist regime, was to help inspire ordinary South Africans to join a liberation movement that would never give up till freedom was won.
The film is produced by Jacintha de Nobrega (“Deep End”), Robyn Slovo, Geoff Arbourne, Colin Charles (“The Surveyor”), James Barrett (“A Change in the Weather”) and Felix Gill (“78/52″). As Variety previously reported, XYZ Films is repping the doc’s North American sales.
Earlier this week,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Georgian filmmaker Rusudan Glurjidze’s drama The Antique has joined MPM Premium’s 2024 line-up.
The Antique is set in 2006 amidst the unlawful deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia. It stars Salome Demuria alongside Sergey Dreyden and Vladimir Vlovichenkov and is produced by Georgia’s Cinetech.
The Paris-based seller has also unveiled more sales for Caye Casas’ Spanish-language black comedy horror The Coffee Table, selling it to Second Sight Films for the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Exit Media in Italy and HBO for Eastern and Central Europe. The film comes off a festival run at Tallinn Black Nights, the...
The Antique is set in 2006 amidst the unlawful deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia. It stars Salome Demuria alongside Sergey Dreyden and Vladimir Vlovichenkov and is produced by Georgia’s Cinetech.
The Paris-based seller has also unveiled more sales for Caye Casas’ Spanish-language black comedy horror The Coffee Table, selling it to Second Sight Films for the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Exit Media in Italy and HBO for Eastern and Central Europe. The film comes off a festival run at Tallinn Black Nights, the...
- 1/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Deportation drama The Antique is the newest addition to MPM Premium’s 2024 line-up that also includes Brazilian environmental drama Betania, Saudi Arabian thriller Mandoob, Spanish LGBTQ+ comedy On The Go, horror The Coffee Table, plus Tunisian trauma-centred story Red Path.
Georgian filmmaker Rusudan Glurjidze’s The Antique is set in 2006 amidst the unlawful deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia. It stars 2024 European Shooting Star actress Salome Demuria alongside Sergey Dreyden and Vladimir Vlovichenkov and is produced by Georgia’s Cinetech. The film is currently in post and expected to premiere later in the year.
The Paris-based seller has also...
Georgian filmmaker Rusudan Glurjidze’s The Antique is set in 2006 amidst the unlawful deportation of thousands of Georgians from Russia. It stars 2024 European Shooting Star actress Salome Demuria alongside Sergey Dreyden and Vladimir Vlovichenkov and is produced by Georgia’s Cinetech. The film is currently in post and expected to premiere later in the year.
The Paris-based seller has also...
- 1/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Production has now started on “AlGaid,” the latest feature from fast-rising Saudi Arabian production house Telfaz11, which smashed local box office records with their first two local releases, “Sattar” and “Mandoob.”
Directed by Hussam Alhulwah and shooting in the sprawling production hub of Neom, “AlGaid” unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th-century Arabia desert and is described as blending the revenge genre with Bedouin soap opera tropes. The film was penned by Saudi novelist and writer Ahmed Alhokail.
Among the newly-announced ensemble cast for the feature is renowned actor Yagoub Alfarhan, recently seen in the Red Sea Film Festival-winning film “Norah” but best known for the mini-series “Rashash.” Joining Alfarhan is Saad Alshatti and Khalid Abdulaziz (“Head to Head”), plus Husam AlHarthi (“The Matchmaker”) Asem Alawad (“Raven Song”), Ayman Mutahar (“Rashash”) and Fahad Bin Salem (“Mandoob”).
AlGaid
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer...
Directed by Hussam Alhulwah and shooting in the sprawling production hub of Neom, “AlGaid” unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th-century Arabia desert and is described as blending the revenge genre with Bedouin soap opera tropes. The film was penned by Saudi novelist and writer Ahmed Alhokail.
Among the newly-announced ensemble cast for the feature is renowned actor Yagoub Alfarhan, recently seen in the Red Sea Film Festival-winning film “Norah” but best known for the mini-series “Rashash.” Joining Alfarhan is Saad Alshatti and Khalid Abdulaziz (“Head to Head”), plus Husam AlHarthi (“The Matchmaker”) Asem Alawad (“Raven Song”), Ayman Mutahar (“Rashash”) and Fahad Bin Salem (“Mandoob”).
AlGaid
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer...
- 1/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Saudi hit thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has continued its record-breaking box office run at home in its second week on release, outpacing Aquaman and Dunki with just under three times the admissions of either picture.
Per the figures of the movie’s Saudi distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, Night Courier sold 71,000 tickets in its second week on release for a gross of $1.15 million.
This brings its total gross to $3.4 million on the back of 251,000 admissions over the course of 12 days.
The picture comfortably beat DC and Warner Bros.’ tentpole Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which clocked 27,700 admissions for a $442,000 gross in its first week on release in Saudi Arabia, as well Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster Dunki, with drew 26,000 spectators for a $357,000 gross.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka slipped to fourth place in the Saudi box office...
Per the figures of the movie’s Saudi distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, Night Courier sold 71,000 tickets in its second week on release for a gross of $1.15 million.
This brings its total gross to $3.4 million on the back of 251,000 admissions over the course of 12 days.
The picture comfortably beat DC and Warner Bros.’ tentpole Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which clocked 27,700 admissions for a $442,000 gross in its first week on release in Saudi Arabia, as well Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster Dunki, with drew 26,000 spectators for a $357,000 gross.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka slipped to fourth place in the Saudi box office...
- 12/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Muvi Studios, the production arm of Saudi Arabia’s leading exhibition chain Muvi Cinemas, is ramping up production of Arabic movies with plans to release 10 titles spawned by its own pipeline in 2024, starting with comedy “Esabet Azeema” that will bow locally on Jan. 4.
“Esabet Azeema,” which toplines Egyptian icon Esaad Younis making her hotly anticipated return to the big screen, is part of a co-production pact that Muvi struck in 2022 with prominent Egyptian studio Al Arabia Cinema.
Their first collaboration, the comedy “Etneen Lil Egaar” (“Two For Rent”) about two losers who post a video on social media saying they are available to do any job for money, was released in Jan. 2023 through Front Row Arabia, Muvi’s joint venture with Front Row Filmed Entertainment. “Two For Rent” had a nice theatrical run in the region scoring more than 300,000 admissions before being picked up by Netflix.
Next up in the...
“Esabet Azeema,” which toplines Egyptian icon Esaad Younis making her hotly anticipated return to the big screen, is part of a co-production pact that Muvi struck in 2022 with prominent Egyptian studio Al Arabia Cinema.
Their first collaboration, the comedy “Etneen Lil Egaar” (“Two For Rent”) about two losers who post a video on social media saying they are available to do any job for money, was released in Jan. 2023 through Front Row Arabia, Muvi’s joint venture with Front Row Filmed Entertainment. “Two For Rent” had a nice theatrical run in the region scoring more than 300,000 admissions before being picked up by Netflix.
Next up in the...
- 12/22/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Ali Kalthami’s feature debut received its premiere at Toronto.
Saudi thriller Mandoob has broken the local box office record for a homegrown title and beat Warner Bros tentpole Wonka to top the weekend box office.
The film took $1.58m from 114,000 admissions following its release across Ksa on December 14. This makes it the highest opening for a local title since Saudi Arabia ended a 35-year ban on operating cinemas in December 2017.
The record was previously held by wrestling comedy Sattar, which opened with 63,000 admissions in December 2022. Mandoob also scored the second biggest opening for an Arabic film in the territory,...
Saudi thriller Mandoob has broken the local box office record for a homegrown title and beat Warner Bros tentpole Wonka to top the weekend box office.
The film took $1.58m from 114,000 admissions following its release across Ksa on December 14. This makes it the highest opening for a local title since Saudi Arabia ended a 35-year ban on operating cinemas in December 2017.
The record was previously held by wrestling comedy Sattar, which opened with 63,000 admissions in December 2022. Mandoob also scored the second biggest opening for an Arabic film in the territory,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabian thriller “Mandoob,” about a struggling man who becomes an illegal booze runner, beat “Wonka” over the weekend to top the Saudi box office chart while also scoring the biggest opening to date for a local film in the territory.
The groundbreaking Saudi movie, which world-premiered positively in Toronto in September – and more recently bowed regionally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah – tallied 114,000 admissions and a $1.58 million gross box office intake following its Dec. 14 release. This puts the film way ahead of Warner Bros’ “Wonka,” in second place with roughly 38,000 admissions and a $616,000 total, and Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron,” which came in third, according to figures provided by distributor Front Row Arabia.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner,...
The groundbreaking Saudi movie, which world-premiered positively in Toronto in September – and more recently bowed regionally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah – tallied 114,000 admissions and a $1.58 million gross box office intake following its Dec. 14 release. This puts the film way ahead of Warner Bros’ “Wonka,” in second place with roughly 38,000 admissions and a $616,000 total, and Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron,” which came in third, according to figures provided by distributor Front Row Arabia.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has posted a record-breaking opening at home, generating 114,000 admissions for a $1.58 million gross to beat Warner Bros. blockbuster Wonka.
Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, launched the title theatrically in all of Saudi Arabia’s 63 cinema theatres on 121 screens on December 14.
Wonka, which also opened in Saudi on December 14, drew roughly 38,000 spectators for a $616,000 gross to come in second, followed by Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron.
Night Courier is the latest production from rising content company Telfaz11, which is already riding high this year on the back of the success of its freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
The opening numbers for Night Courier trump those of Sattar, which previously held the opening record for a Saudi film. That film, which was also handled by Front Row Arabia, drew...
Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, launched the title theatrically in all of Saudi Arabia’s 63 cinema theatres on 121 screens on December 14.
Wonka, which also opened in Saudi on December 14, drew roughly 38,000 spectators for a $616,000 gross to come in second, followed by Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron.
Night Courier is the latest production from rising content company Telfaz11, which is already riding high this year on the back of the success of its freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
The opening numbers for Night Courier trump those of Sattar, which previously held the opening record for a Saudi film. That film, which was also handled by Front Row Arabia, drew...
- 12/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Groundbreaking Saudi Arabian thriller “Mandoob,” about a struggling man who becomes a bootleg alcohol dealer, is being mastered for theatrical release in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos in what is being touted as a first for Saudi and Arabic cinema at large.
The film, which world-premiered in Toronto and recently bowed locally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, is being released in Saudi by distributor Front Row on Dec. 14 with late night screenings starting Wednesday night.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, the protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner, plunging into the depths of Riyadh’s underworld as he battles adversity to save his ailing father.
“Dolby is proud to collaborate with the creative minds behind ‘Mandoob,’ bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to...
The film, which world-premiered in Toronto and recently bowed locally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, is being released in Saudi by distributor Front Row on Dec. 14 with late night screenings starting Wednesday night.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, the protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner, plunging into the depths of Riyadh’s underworld as he battles adversity to save his ailing father.
“Dolby is proud to collaborate with the creative minds behind ‘Mandoob,’ bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to...
- 12/13/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s debut feature Night Courier (Mandoob) was a hot ticket at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah earlier this month and expectations are running high for its local release, which begins at midnight today.
As is often the case in Saudi Arabia right now, the Red Sea screening felt like history in the making as an intergenerational local crowd packed out the auditorium alongside international guests, lapping up the drama and deadpan humor.
The Riyadh-set social thriller stars popular Saudi actor Mohamad AlDokhei as a Fahad, a man in his late 30s, who turns to work as a night courier (mandoob) after he is sacked from his job at a call center.
When he stumbles on an illegal alcohol ring, he hatches a plan to boost his meagre earnings but then falls foul of the gang running the operation.
Fahad’s nocturnal deliveries take...
As is often the case in Saudi Arabia right now, the Red Sea screening felt like history in the making as an intergenerational local crowd packed out the auditorium alongside international guests, lapping up the drama and deadpan humor.
The Riyadh-set social thriller stars popular Saudi actor Mohamad AlDokhei as a Fahad, a man in his late 30s, who turns to work as a night courier (mandoob) after he is sacked from his job at a call center.
When he stumbles on an illegal alcohol ring, he hatches a plan to boost his meagre earnings but then falls foul of the gang running the operation.
Fahad’s nocturnal deliveries take...
- 12/13/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The third Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia put a spotlight on movies from the Middle East and North Africa region.
It also presented an opportunity to bring together six filmmakers with strong cinematic voices for the first-ever Hollywood Reporter roundtable at the fest, in partnership with Neom.
Among those participating in the roundtable were two past Oscar nominees and four hopefuls for the 2024 best international feature Oscar.
Representing Saudi Arabia was Ali Alkalthami, whose Mandoob, a satirical drama exploring the class divide, screened in the Red Sea festival’s competition. Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania, an Oscar nominee in 2021 for The Man Who Sold His Skin, brought Four Daughters, an experimental documentary-drama hybrid in which professional actors re-enact a family’s devastating experience of loss and that won the doc award in Cannes, to the fest’s Arab Spectacular lineup. It is also Tunisia’s submission...
It also presented an opportunity to bring together six filmmakers with strong cinematic voices for the first-ever Hollywood Reporter roundtable at the fest, in partnership with Neom.
Among those participating in the roundtable were two past Oscar nominees and four hopefuls for the 2024 best international feature Oscar.
Representing Saudi Arabia was Ali Alkalthami, whose Mandoob, a satirical drama exploring the class divide, screened in the Red Sea festival’s competition. Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania, an Oscar nominee in 2021 for The Man Who Sold His Skin, brought Four Daughters, an experimental documentary-drama hybrid in which professional actors re-enact a family’s devastating experience of loss and that won the doc award in Cannes, to the fest’s Arab Spectacular lineup. It is also Tunisia’s submission...
- 12/11/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, wrapping Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, felt like a direct response to a burning question from executives and investors present at the festival’s market arm last year: Could Saudi Arabia step out from drama and comedy and head into genre filmmaking? The answer offered by the festival, it turns out, was a resounding yes.
“Arabs are closer to fantasy than the Western world,” director Yasir Al-Yasiri told Variety of this year’s Red Sea Film Festival opening film, “Hwjn.” The film, a sprawling fantasy about the Arab Jinn culture set and shot in Jeddah, comes at the “right time,” according to the director. “We have the means to do so, and so many talented people have gathered great experience from working abroad with big companies and now they are working in our region.”
“Saudi changed so much that suddenly we had room to explore,...
“Arabs are closer to fantasy than the Western world,” director Yasir Al-Yasiri told Variety of this year’s Red Sea Film Festival opening film, “Hwjn.” The film, a sprawling fantasy about the Arab Jinn culture set and shot in Jeddah, comes at the “right time,” according to the director. “We have the means to do so, and so many talented people have gathered great experience from working abroad with big companies and now they are working in our region.”
“Saudi changed so much that suddenly we had room to explore,...
- 12/9/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
International execs note the quality of projects on offer and growth potential of Saudi industry
A significant number of international executives have beaten a path to the Red Sea International Film Festival’s market over the past week to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing Saudi film market.
The Souk took place for four busy days from December 2-5. All the major Saudi players were on the ground, firming up its reputation as the place to learn about the local industry and to strike up relationships.
Red Sea managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra said industry accreditation was up by 10% on last year,...
A significant number of international executives have beaten a path to the Red Sea International Film Festival’s market over the past week to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing Saudi film market.
The Souk took place for four busy days from December 2-5. All the major Saudi players were on the ground, firming up its reputation as the place to learn about the local industry and to strike up relationships.
Red Sea managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra said industry accreditation was up by 10% on last year,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival is midway through its third edition, running November 30 to December 9 in the palatial surroundings of the seafront Ritz Carlton in the port city of Jeddah.
This year’s edition came together against the backdrop of the geopolitical tensions linked to the Israel-Hamas Conflict as well as the tail-end of the Actors’ Strike.
These challenges do not appear to have dented the line-up of films or the roster of local, regional and international guests making the trip to Jeddah. A-listers have also been hitting the red carpet with Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Zoe Saldana, Halle Berry, Chris Hemsworth and Gwyneth Paltrow among those putting in an appearance.
The edition is showcasing around 90 features, 20 shorts and four TV series hailing from more than 70 territories, ranging from big U.S. titles such as Ferrari and Origin to buzzy local films with international breakthrough potential such as Mandoob and Norah.
This year’s edition came together against the backdrop of the geopolitical tensions linked to the Israel-Hamas Conflict as well as the tail-end of the Actors’ Strike.
These challenges do not appear to have dented the line-up of films or the roster of local, regional and international guests making the trip to Jeddah. A-listers have also been hitting the red carpet with Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Zoe Saldana, Halle Berry, Chris Hemsworth and Gwyneth Paltrow among those putting in an appearance.
The edition is showcasing around 90 features, 20 shorts and four TV series hailing from more than 70 territories, ranging from big U.S. titles such as Ferrari and Origin to buzzy local films with international breakthrough potential such as Mandoob and Norah.
- 12/4/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The moves comes as the leading Mena distributor ramps up activity.
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as the company increases activity in the region.
The trio joined in early 2019 as part of a revamp of the company, which is one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). Torloting is Front Row’s COO, with Chaiban heading post-theatrical sales and Touma leading acquisitions and theatrical distribution.
The company, founded by Gianluca Chakra in 2003, handles the release of more than 200 films per year,...
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as the company increases activity in the region.
The trio joined in early 2019 as part of a revamp of the company, which is one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). Torloting is Front Row’s COO, with Chaiban heading post-theatrical sales and Touma leading acquisitions and theatrical distribution.
The company, founded by Gianluca Chakra in 2003, handles the release of more than 200 films per year,...
- 12/4/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
’We strive to make each film distinct from one another,’ says co-founder Ali Fadan
Over the past twelve months, Telfaz11 has established itself at the forefront of the Saudi production industry.
Its comedy Sattar became the number one Saudi film ever, and the fourth biggest release of all time at the Saudi box office, with over 918,000 admissions.
Two Telfaz11 films – Ali Kalthami’s drama Mandoob and Meshal Aljaser’s suspense thriller Naga – world premiered at Toronto.
Both are playing at Red Sea before being released later this month: Naga on Netflix on December 7 and Mandoob in theatres on December 14. Abdullah...
Over the past twelve months, Telfaz11 has established itself at the forefront of the Saudi production industry.
Its comedy Sattar became the number one Saudi film ever, and the fourth biggest release of all time at the Saudi box office, with over 918,000 admissions.
Two Telfaz11 films – Ali Kalthami’s drama Mandoob and Meshal Aljaser’s suspense thriller Naga – world premiered at Toronto.
Both are playing at Red Sea before being released later this month: Naga on Netflix on December 7 and Mandoob in theatres on December 14. Abdullah...
- 12/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Riyadh-based exhibitor is aiming to back 24 Arabic language films a year by 2025
Leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas is ramping up its production activities and will start shooting on its next Saudi film El Senor by Aymen Khoja on December 9.
Starring Yasir Alsaggaf and Bayoumi Fouad, the comedy is one of 10 films backed by Muvi’s production arm Muvi Studios that the exhibitor will release over the next 12 months.
Among them is Red Sea competition film Mandoob, co-production with Telfaz 11 that releases on December 14. Egyptian comedy Esabat Azeema, a co-production with Al Arabia Cinema that stars Esaad Younes, will release...
Leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas is ramping up its production activities and will start shooting on its next Saudi film El Senor by Aymen Khoja on December 9.
Starring Yasir Alsaggaf and Bayoumi Fouad, the comedy is one of 10 films backed by Muvi’s production arm Muvi Studios that the exhibitor will release over the next 12 months.
Among them is Red Sea competition film Mandoob, co-production with Telfaz 11 that releases on December 14. Egyptian comedy Esabat Azeema, a co-production with Al Arabia Cinema that stars Esaad Younes, will release...
- 12/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Saudi film director and writer Ali Kalthami began his career making digital series including “AlKhallat”, which ran for a decade and was later adapted by Netflix. In 2016, he moved into cinema with his short film “Wasati”; his feature-length thriller “Mandoob” was one of two produced by Telfaz11, a Riyadh-based content creator he helped establish, and premiered at this year's Toronto Film Festival.
Mandoob is screening at Red Sea Film Festival
Fahad Algadaani is a mentally unstable man who works at a call center, but gets repeatedly in trouble for being late or ignoring the pleas of customers. Inevitably, eventually he gets fired, with his reaction to this decision highlighting his instability in the harshest fashion. At the same time, Fahad has to take care of his ailing father and feels the need to protect his divorced sister, who is looking to become an entrepreneur and does not particularly value his involvement in her life.
Mandoob is screening at Red Sea Film Festival
Fahad Algadaani is a mentally unstable man who works at a call center, but gets repeatedly in trouble for being late or ignoring the pleas of customers. Inevitably, eventually he gets fired, with his reaction to this decision highlighting his instability in the harshest fashion. At the same time, Fahad has to take care of his ailing father and feels the need to protect his divorced sister, who is looking to become an entrepreneur and does not particularly value his involvement in her life.
- 12/3/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ali Kalthami jokingly asserts that Telfaz11, the Saudi Arabia production company he helped co-found more than 10 years ago — long before the country announced it was reopening cinemas for the first time in 35 years — is currently the “hot thing” in the local film industry.
He’s not exactly wrong.
The company’s first feature Sattar smashed Saudi box office records at the start of the year, becoming the most successful local feature of all time in the space of a couple of weeks, and would go on to beat most major Hollywood releases (including Barbie). Less than 12 months on at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah it currently has two of buzziest titles screening in Naga and Mandoob, both of which premiered in Toronto. Screenings for the films were among the first to sell out.
Suspense thriller Naga — part of a multi-picture deal Telfaz11 signed with Netflix — comes from writer...
He’s not exactly wrong.
The company’s first feature Sattar smashed Saudi box office records at the start of the year, becoming the most successful local feature of all time in the space of a couple of weeks, and would go on to beat most major Hollywood releases (including Barbie). Less than 12 months on at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah it currently has two of buzziest titles screening in Naga and Mandoob, both of which premiered in Toronto. Screenings for the films were among the first to sell out.
Suspense thriller Naga — part of a multi-picture deal Telfaz11 signed with Netflix — comes from writer...
- 12/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone among international guests in attendance.
The third edition of Red Sea International Film Festival opened on Thursday, November 30 with a ceremony that added local interests and humour to the standard festival event template.
Stars including Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone, Michelle Williams, Sofia Vergara, Diane Kruger and Ranveer Singh were in attendance at the 1,000-seat Grand Ballroom in the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah, for a one-hour ceremony prior to the world premiere of Yasir Alyasiri’s Saudi fantasy romance Hwjn. Screen’s review described the film as ”an entertaining, swashbuckling fantasy epic.”
Smith took his...
The third edition of Red Sea International Film Festival opened on Thursday, November 30 with a ceremony that added local interests and humour to the standard festival event template.
Stars including Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone, Michelle Williams, Sofia Vergara, Diane Kruger and Ranveer Singh were in attendance at the 1,000-seat Grand Ballroom in the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah, for a one-hour ceremony prior to the world premiere of Yasir Alyasiri’s Saudi fantasy romance Hwjn. Screen’s review described the film as ”an entertaining, swashbuckling fantasy epic.”
Smith took his...
- 12/1/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival stands as testimony to the kingdom’s unwavering drive to become a film and TV industry powerhouse amid regional conflicts, political turbulence and societal changes.
The Israel-Hamas war caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world, including the Cairo Film Festival and Tunisia’s Carthage Film Days. But Saudi’s rapidly growing fest is forging ahead undeterred with its third edition set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore.
In early October, after the war broke out, “we were assessing the situation day by day,” recalls pioneering Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki, the event’s CEO, who notes that Red Sea organizers at that point reached out to filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa region for feedback “and they almost had a heart attack when we told them we might not continue.
The Israel-Hamas war caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world, including the Cairo Film Festival and Tunisia’s Carthage Film Days. But Saudi’s rapidly growing fest is forging ahead undeterred with its third edition set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore.
In early October, after the war broke out, “we were assessing the situation day by day,” recalls pioneering Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki, the event’s CEO, who notes that Red Sea organizers at that point reached out to filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa region for feedback “and they almost had a heart attack when we told them we might not continue.
- 11/29/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced the bulk of its lineup from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), signaling that the event is forging ahead with its third edition despite the Israel-Hamas war that has caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world.
The fest’s third edition, set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, will feature a slew of films from the Mena region and comprise 11 feature films from Saudi, underlining the local film industry’s growth. This year’s theme is “Your Story, Your Festival”.
There are two Saudi films in the 17-title competition dedicated to features from the Arab world as well as Africa and Asia. They are “Norah,” a drama by first-time helmer Tawfik Alzaidi set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism was at its height, and Ali Alkalthami’s bold comedy “Mandoob...
The fest’s third edition, set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, will feature a slew of films from the Mena region and comprise 11 feature films from Saudi, underlining the local film industry’s growth. This year’s theme is “Your Story, Your Festival”.
There are two Saudi films in the 17-title competition dedicated to features from the Arab world as well as Africa and Asia. They are “Norah,” a drama by first-time helmer Tawfik Alzaidi set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism was at its height, and Ali Alkalthami’s bold comedy “Mandoob...
- 11/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Fast-rising Saudi studio Telfaz11 has reunited with distributor Front Row Arabia following their record-breaking release of Sattar, which earlier this year became the most successful Saudi film of all time.
Front Row Arabia — a partnership between regional distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi exhibition chain Movie Cinemas — will now release Telfaz’s latest feature Mandoob, a darkly comic Saudi thriller directed by Ali Kalthami, which he co-wrote with Mohammed Algarawi. The first trailer has also been released for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters across Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14.
Mandoob, which premiered in Toronto, follows a struggling Saudi man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s fired from his call center job and is forced to make ends meet working as a delivery man in the depths of the local underworld.
The film is produced by Telfaz11 Studio and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation’s production support fund.
Front Row Arabia — a partnership between regional distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi exhibition chain Movie Cinemas — will now release Telfaz’s latest feature Mandoob, a darkly comic Saudi thriller directed by Ali Kalthami, which he co-wrote with Mohammed Algarawi. The first trailer has also been released for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters across Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14.
Mandoob, which premiered in Toronto, follows a struggling Saudi man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s fired from his call center job and is forced to make ends meet working as a delivery man in the depths of the local underworld.
The film is produced by Telfaz11 Studio and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation’s production support fund.
- 11/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ali Kalthami’s satirical drama “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”) examines the class divide in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, telling the story of a hapless delivery man and the desperate avenues he takes to make money.
Comedic actor Mohammed Aldokhei plays Fahad, who finds himself in a precarious situation after he is fired from his day job at a call center. Trying to make ends meet, and help his ailing father get necessary medical treatment, Fahad embarks on an illicit scheme to sell stolen liquor while delivering food to wealthy customers.
The film, which unspooled in Toronto and at the Zurich Film Festival, is also a visual tour of Riyadh and its low-income and working-class neighborhoods, mostly by night and often in the rain. Kalthami was eager to capture the city and its glaring lights during the country’s short rainy season. The wide, multi-lane streets and heavy traffic also allowed...
Comedic actor Mohammed Aldokhei plays Fahad, who finds himself in a precarious situation after he is fired from his day job at a call center. Trying to make ends meet, and help his ailing father get necessary medical treatment, Fahad embarks on an illicit scheme to sell stolen liquor while delivering food to wealthy customers.
The film, which unspooled in Toronto and at the Zurich Film Festival, is also a visual tour of Riyadh and its low-income and working-class neighborhoods, mostly by night and often in the rain. Kalthami was eager to capture the city and its glaring lights during the country’s short rainy season. The wide, multi-lane streets and heavy traffic also allowed...
- 10/8/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
“Hesitation Wound” and “Hollywoodgate” were named winners at the Zurich Film Festival, as the 19th edition of the Swiss festival came to a close.
Selman Nacar’s drama “Hesitation Wound” impressed the Feature Film Competition jury.
“Moral issues are a frequent underlying theme in many films, but the dilemma facing the main character in this film is really strongly felt here,” argued the jury, which comprised president Anton Corbijn, Finola Dwyer, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Juho Kuosmanen and Bryce Nielsen.
Praising “wonderful” Tülin Özen, cast as a lawyer struggling at home and at work – “a woman forever on the verge of either breakthrough or breakdown,” wrote Variety – they added: “It’s a film that stayed with the majority of the jury throughout the festival and even though it was a fight with two other contenders, it became our favorite. Selman Nacar, thank you so much for this delicious film.”
Iris Kaltenbäck...
Selman Nacar’s drama “Hesitation Wound” impressed the Feature Film Competition jury.
“Moral issues are a frequent underlying theme in many films, but the dilemma facing the main character in this film is really strongly felt here,” argued the jury, which comprised president Anton Corbijn, Finola Dwyer, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Juho Kuosmanen and Bryce Nielsen.
Praising “wonderful” Tülin Özen, cast as a lawyer struggling at home and at work – “a woman forever on the verge of either breakthrough or breakdown,” wrote Variety – they added: “It’s a film that stayed with the majority of the jury throughout the festival and even though it was a fight with two other contenders, it became our favorite. Selman Nacar, thank you so much for this delicious film.”
Iris Kaltenbäck...
- 10/7/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The upcoming film ‘Stolen’, which stars Abhishek Banerjee in the lead, has been chosen under the Feature Film Competition Category at the Zurich Film Festival this year. The film will be screened alongside the likes of notable international features, including Saudi Arabian feature ‘Mandoob’ by Ali Kalthami, US director Chloe Domont’s ‘Fair Play’ and Pietro Castellitto’s ‘Enea’, among others.
The 19th edition of the Zurich Film Festival will be held from September 28 to October 8, 2023, with ‘Stolen’, directed by Karan Tejpal, scheduled to screen on September 29 at the festival.
The film follows the story of a five-month-old baby being abducted from her mother, and this incident draws the attention of brothers Gautam and Raman, leading them to face various challenges that test their relationships and convictions. The film also stars Shubham and Mia Maelzer in key roles.
Sharing his thoughts on ‘Stolen’ being screened at the Zurich Film Festival this year,...
The 19th edition of the Zurich Film Festival will be held from September 28 to October 8, 2023, with ‘Stolen’, directed by Karan Tejpal, scheduled to screen on September 29 at the festival.
The film follows the story of a five-month-old baby being abducted from her mother, and this incident draws the attention of brothers Gautam and Raman, leading them to face various challenges that test their relationships and convictions. The film also stars Shubham and Mia Maelzer in key roles.
Sharing his thoughts on ‘Stolen’ being screened at the Zurich Film Festival this year,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Agency News Desk
The upcoming film ‘Stolen’, which stars Abhishek Banerjee in the lead, has been chosen under the Feature Film Competition Category at the Zurich Film Festival this year. The film will be screened alongside the likes of notable international features, including Saudi Arabian feature ‘Mandoob’ by Ali Kalthami, US director Chloe Domont’s ‘Fair Play’ and Pietro Castellitto’s ‘Enea’, among others.
The 19th edition of the Zurich Film Festival will be held from September 28 to October 8, 2023, with ‘Stolen’, directed by Karan Tejpal, scheduled to screen on September 29 at the festival.
The film follows the story of a five-month-old baby being abducted from her mother, and this incident draws the attention of brothers Gautam and Raman, leading them to face various challenges that test their relationships and convictions. The film also stars Shubham and Mia Maelzer in key roles.
Sharing his thoughts on ‘Stolen’ being screened at the Zurich Film Festival this year,...
The 19th edition of the Zurich Film Festival will be held from September 28 to October 8, 2023, with ‘Stolen’, directed by Karan Tejpal, scheduled to screen on September 29 at the festival.
The film follows the story of a five-month-old baby being abducted from her mother, and this incident draws the attention of brothers Gautam and Raman, leading them to face various challenges that test their relationships and convictions. The film also stars Shubham and Mia Maelzer in key roles.
Sharing his thoughts on ‘Stolen’ being screened at the Zurich Film Festival this year,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
The 19th Zurich Film Festival promises to be a star-studded affair with plenty of Hollywood A-list talent attending.
Todd Haynes will be honored with the festival’s A Tribute to… Award and will present his film “May December.” Previous recipients include Paolo Sorrentino, Wim Wenders, Olivier Assayas, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, Oliver Stone, Maïwenn and Luca Guadagnino.
“It’s a real honor to celebrate this master of American cinema. Todd Haynes is renowned for his elegant mise-en-scène and his ability to get the best from his actors and actresses,” said festival director Christian Jungen.
Ethan Hawke will be present with his film “Wildcat.” As previously announced, Jessica Chastain will receive the festival’s Golden Icon Award. Diane Kruger will receive the Golden Eye prize.
The festival’s feature film competition for first, second and third works will see “Ama Gloria,” “Enea,” “Fair Play,” “Femme,” “Hesitation Wound,” “How To Have Sex,...
Todd Haynes will be honored with the festival’s A Tribute to… Award and will present his film “May December.” Previous recipients include Paolo Sorrentino, Wim Wenders, Olivier Assayas, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, Oliver Stone, Maïwenn and Luca Guadagnino.
“It’s a real honor to celebrate this master of American cinema. Todd Haynes is renowned for his elegant mise-en-scène and his ability to get the best from his actors and actresses,” said festival director Christian Jungen.
Ethan Hawke will be present with his film “Wildcat.” As previously announced, Jessica Chastain will receive the festival’s Golden Icon Award. Diane Kruger will receive the Golden Eye prize.
The festival’s feature film competition for first, second and third works will see “Ama Gloria,” “Enea,” “Fair Play,” “Femme,” “Hesitation Wound,” “How To Have Sex,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Swiss festival programmes 148 films for this year’s edition.
The Zurich Film Festival (Zff) has unveiled a line-up of 148 films for its 2023 edition which takes place from September 28 to October 8.
The festival’s Focus Competition – which showcases feature films and documentaries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland - has six world premieres. They include Swiss films The Driven One by Piet Baumgartner, a long-term study of students at the elite university Hsg St. Gallen, and road movie Return To Alexandria by Zurich-based Tamer Ruggli, which stars Nadine Labaki and Fanny Ardant.
Scroll down for Focus and Feature Film Competition line-up
Other...
The Zurich Film Festival (Zff) has unveiled a line-up of 148 films for its 2023 edition which takes place from September 28 to October 8.
The festival’s Focus Competition – which showcases feature films and documentaries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland - has six world premieres. They include Swiss films The Driven One by Piet Baumgartner, a long-term study of students at the elite university Hsg St. Gallen, and road movie Return To Alexandria by Zurich-based Tamer Ruggli, which stars Nadine Labaki and Fanny Ardant.
Scroll down for Focus and Feature Film Competition line-up
Other...
- 9/14/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Todd Haynes will be honored with the Zurich Film Festival’s A Tribute To… Award at its upcoming 19th edition.
The Swiss festival announced the honor as it unveiled its full line-up on Thursday.
The U.S. director will be presented with the honorary prize ahead of a screening of new film May December on October 3.
“It’s a real honour to celebrate this master of American cinema. Todd Haynes is renowned for his elegant mise-en-scène and his ability to get the best from his actors and actresses,” said Zff Artistic Director Christian Jungen.
“We also have a long-standing working relationship with Todd. The outstanding drama May December featuring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman is the third film he has presented with us in the last ten years.”
Previous recipients of the award include Paolo Sorrentino, Wim Wenders, Olivier Assayas, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, Oliver Stone, Maïwenn and Luca Guadagnino.
The Swiss festival announced the honor as it unveiled its full line-up on Thursday.
The U.S. director will be presented with the honorary prize ahead of a screening of new film May December on October 3.
“It’s a real honour to celebrate this master of American cinema. Todd Haynes is renowned for his elegant mise-en-scène and his ability to get the best from his actors and actresses,” said Zff Artistic Director Christian Jungen.
“We also have a long-standing working relationship with Todd. The outstanding drama May December featuring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman is the third film he has presented with us in the last ten years.”
Previous recipients of the award include Paolo Sorrentino, Wim Wenders, Olivier Assayas, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, Oliver Stone, Maïwenn and Luca Guadagnino.
- 9/14/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Long before it was officially announced, in late 2017, that Saudi Arabia’s 30-year ban on cinemas would be lifted, there’d been widespread gossip across the kingdom that the news was incoming.
“There was this rumor going around that there were theaters in malls already, and they’d just pull the curtain back and be like ‘tada, cinemas!,” says Alaa Fadan. As Ibraheem Al Khairallah recalls: “I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Is that the corner of a cinema?’”
But Fadan and Al Khairallah weren’t simply Saudi movie fans eagerly waiting in anticipation. As co-founders of pioneering Riyadh-based content studio Telfaz11 alongside fellow multi-hyphenate Ali Kalthami, they’d spent years carefully preparing themselves and their company, which began life making online videos, in order to take full advantage whenever the historic news would land. As Fadan notes: “We were ready for it — everything that we’d done was about...
“There was this rumor going around that there were theaters in malls already, and they’d just pull the curtain back and be like ‘tada, cinemas!,” says Alaa Fadan. As Ibraheem Al Khairallah recalls: “I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Is that the corner of a cinema?’”
But Fadan and Al Khairallah weren’t simply Saudi movie fans eagerly waiting in anticipation. As co-founders of pioneering Riyadh-based content studio Telfaz11 alongside fellow multi-hyphenate Ali Kalthami, they’d spent years carefully preparing themselves and their company, which began life making online videos, in order to take full advantage whenever the historic news would land. As Fadan notes: “We were ready for it — everything that we’d done was about...
- 9/9/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MPM Premium has acquired world sales rights to Ali Kalthami’s dark comedic crime thriller “Mandoob,” which will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in the Discovery section, one of three Saudi films selected by the event.
Set in Riyadh, the film centers on Fahad Algadaani, a mentally fragile man racing against time to pay for his ailing father’s medical treatment. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is fired from his call center job, and he is forced to make ends meet by working as a delivery driver (“mandoob” means courier in Arabic).
A chance encounter uncovers a dark underbelly of the city — one thriving on illicit activities — and Fahad is confronted with a dangerous proposition that promises to solve all his monetary woes. Yet, this tantalizing opportunity comes at a great cost — he must risk everything he holds dear, including his principles and...
Set in Riyadh, the film centers on Fahad Algadaani, a mentally fragile man racing against time to pay for his ailing father’s medical treatment. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is fired from his call center job, and he is forced to make ends meet by working as a delivery driver (“mandoob” means courier in Arabic).
A chance encounter uncovers a dark underbelly of the city — one thriving on illicit activities — and Fahad is confronted with a dangerous proposition that promises to solve all his monetary woes. Yet, this tantalizing opportunity comes at a great cost — he must risk everything he holds dear, including his principles and...
- 9/8/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
As you read this, new titles from filmmakers of Tunisian, Moroccan and Franco-Palestinian-Algerian heritage are making their mark at the Venice Film Festival, while Toronto Film Festival will premiere a trio of first features from Saudi Arabia, along with discoveries from the UAE and Palestine, plus a handful of Arab titles screened at Cannes and Venice. Those in the know say that the annual number of Arab films produced has increased along with the emergence of new filmmakers, and that fall festivals such as El Gouna, Marrakech, Cairo and Red Sea will be chockablock with fresh regional titles.
Last year, Venice boasted a remarkably large crop of Arab-language features, but a strong Cannes 2023 selection of Arabic cinema that claimed kudos in various sections of the French fest left the Biennale with a picked over selection. Nevertheless, Venice can claim credit for nurturing this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week prize-winner “Inshallah a Boy...
Last year, Venice boasted a remarkably large crop of Arab-language features, but a strong Cannes 2023 selection of Arabic cinema that claimed kudos in various sections of the French fest left the Biennale with a picked over selection. Nevertheless, Venice can claim credit for nurturing this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week prize-winner “Inshallah a Boy...
- 9/4/2023
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
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